It’s the eve of the Fringe, Edmonton’s favourite summer festival, best idea, and most influential export ever. Live theatre, the most exciting and immediate art form of all, is on our minds!

Eighteen months ago, I left my job of more than three decades as the Edmonton Journal’s theatre reviewer to take my work covering Edmonton theatre exclusively online. My experiment? 12thnight.ca. That’s where I’ve been directing my reviews, previews, feature stories ever since, full-time and for free — to see if readers, theatre-goers, artists might find the content worthwhile and entertaining.

So (dramatic development, cue lighting) this is my news: after a year and a half I’ve come to the moment when I need some support to continue my work of writing about Edmonton theatre on 12thnight.ca. I’m hoping you’ve been appreciating the voice of experience — and that you’d be up for chipping in a monthly amount (every little bit counts!) to my Patreon campaign to help that happen. 12thnight.ca and all its content continues to be free, and there’s no charge to subscribe. But this is your invitation to be a patron if you’re able, and here’s the link: www.patreon.com/12thnight. Spread the word!

In an era of shrinking coverage in the mainstream media, it seems worth trying a new way. And I hope you’ll be able to join me in the venture! In return, I’ll continue to provide the best coverage I can, and be your guide to what’s happening onstage in this exciting theatre town, I can. Edmonton’s theatre artists continue to be a creative inspiration for all of us!